memory_alphafandomcom-20200223-history
Khan Noonien Singh
Description: Khan in 2267 Gender: Male Species: Genetically enhanced Human Born: mid 20th century Died: 2285 Played by: ''Ricardo Montalban Description: Khan in 2285 Khan Noonien Singh, commonly referred to simply as Khan, was a genetically-engineered tyrant on Earth in the 1990s, the most infamous dictator of the Eugenics Wars. So dangerous was Khan that even four centuries later, genetic engineering was banned throughout the United Federation of Planets in order to avoid creating another tyrant like Khan. (DS9: "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?") Khan was the product of a secret genetic engineering program, whose philosophy of eugenics held that improving the capabilities of a man improved the entire Human race. Khan — and the other genetically-engineered people who followed him — possessed superior strength and analytical capabilities compared to ordinary Humans. As Khan observed, "Improve a mechanical device, and you may double productivity. But improve a man, and you gain a thousandfold." In 1992, Khan and over a hundred followers seized power in approximately 40 nation-states on Earth, taking control of nearly a quarter of the planet, from the Middle East to East Asia. This act instigated a series of fierce wars across the planet as other nations tried to overthrow the tyrants; but many of the wars were also caused because the tyrants fought among each other. By 1996, most of the tyrants had been defeated and their territory captured, but approximately 90 of them were never accounted for. It was not discovered until 2267 that Khan and his followers had escaped aboard a sleeper ship, the [[SS Botany Bay|SS Botany Bay]]. Kept alive in suspended animation for nearly three hundred years, the Botany Bay was discovered by Captain James T. Kirk and the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]]. Initially believing the people aboard the ship to be refugees from the Eugenics Wars, Khan and his followers were welcomed by Kirk and his crew, including ship's historian Marla McGivers, who took a particular interest in Khan. Ultimately, the truth of Khan's origins was revealed, and Khan staged a violent takeover of the Enterprise, assisted by McGivers. However, when Khan's innate cruelty was demonstrated as he planned to execute Captain Kirk and his crew following their refusal to serve him, McGivers helped Kirk and first officer Spock retake the ship. Rather than imprison him in the Federation, however, Captain Kirk took the unusual step of offering voluntary exile on Ceti Alpha V. Khan accepted, quoting John Milton: "It is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." Khan and his followers, along with Marla McGivers, were settled on Ceti Alpha V with limited supplies and meager shelter. McGivers would later marry Khan. (TOS: "Space Seed") Khan's settlement was nearly wiped out six months later by the explosion of Ceti Alpha VI, which caused massive environmental devastation on the planet and nearly rendering the entire world uninhabitable. Many of Khan's followers died, both from the privation that followed as well as from the deadly Ceti eels. McGivers was one of those who was killed by the eels. With practically no shelter, no food, and no hope, Khan was left on Ceti Alpha V indefinitely, never receiving a check-up visit from Kirk or Starfleet. He became extremely embittered, developing an intense hatred for Kirk, reading such classic novels of vengeance as Moby Dick. Finally, in 2285, Khan's settlement was visited by personnel from the [[USS Reliant|USS Reliant]], who had mistaken Ceti Alpha V for Ceti Alpha VI. Khan quickly seized control of the Reliant, implanting Ceti eels in Captain Clark Terrell and Commander Pavel Chekov. Khan then used his prisoners' knowledge of Project Genesis to attack Spacelab Regula I, killing nearly the entire crew of the station, with the goal of luring now-Admiral Kirk into a trap. Kirk did respond as expected, and the Reliant, under Khan's command, attacked the Enterprise. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensued, with Khan seeking to kill Kirk and his crew. During the battle, Khan managed to steal the Genesis Device. Kirk used the Enterprise to lure Khan into the Mutara Nebula for a final battle, in which the Enterprise fatally crippled the Reliant, leaving Khan helpless. However, Khan's last act before he died was to activate the Genesis Device, hoping to destroy the damaged Enterprise — and Kirk — in the device's massive explosion. However, Spock managed to repair the Enterprise's warp drive, allowing the ship to escape just before the Genesis Device's detonation. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Background Information Khan was named for Kim Noonien Singh, a friend of Gene Roddenberry during the Second World War. Roddenberry had lost touch with him and hoped that his friend would see his name on television and contact him. (This was also the origin of the name of Noonien Soong. See Also * Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One ISBN 0743406427 (paperback) * Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume Two ISBN 0743406443 (paperback) * Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan * TOS: "Space Seed"